Vasily Ivanovich Shukhaev(1887-1973), portrait painter, theater artist, teacher, illustrator of works of Russian classics, is well known to the general public, first of all, as one of the best Russian illustrators of A.S. Pushkin's work

In 1906 Vasily Ivanovich Shukhaev entered the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg.

For six years (1906-1912) he comprehends the complex skill of a painter, of which four years in the workshop of Professor D.N. Kardovsky.

Great importance in the workshop of Kardovsky was attached to work on nature and from nature, high technique of drawing, and the improvement of technological methods.

Shukhaev carried these principles through all his creativity - artistic and pedagogical.

V.I.Shukhaev (1921-1935) spent a significant part of his life in France.

During these years he illustrated books by Russian writers for the Pleiada publishing house:

"The Queen of Spades" and "Boris Godunov" Pushkin,

"The first love" Turgenev,

"Petersburg Tales" Gogol,

"The Enchanted Wanderer" Leskov,

"Hero of our time" Lermontov,

"Boring story" Chekhov.

In 1922 V.I.Shukhaev created illustrations for the Parisian edition of Pushkin's "The Queen of Spades", which was published in French with a circulation of only 340 copies (Paris publishing house "Pleiade"; translation by Shifrin, Schletzer and André Gide, 1923).

Illustrations for "The Queen of Spades" are regarded as "one of the highest achievements of Shukhaev in the field of book art."

These illustrations are made using the technique of drawing with a feather with a watercolor highlight.

The researcher of his work, I. Myamlin, notes in the illustrations for "The Queen of Spades" "the artist's truly jewelry skill in conveying portrait characteristics, sometimes ironic and satirical."

In the hand-painted drawings by Shukhaev in the style of World of Art artists, the costumes and everyday details of the era are made with particular care, although there is a closeness to the French engravings of the 18th century.

The absence of detailed "ready-made" characteristics of the characters, laconicism, simplicity, "unadornedness" of Pushkin's prose require from the reader an attentive attitude to the word and the activity of the recreational and creative imagination.

The tragedy of Pushkin's hero is given in an ironic vein, although initially it seems to the reader that it affects all the characters, except for the main character: none of Hermann's friends allowed themselves to play a trick on him, throughout the story a smile never appeared on his face.

"Gambling house". In 1925 in Paris V. Shukhaev created the scenery for The Queen of Spades.

Drawings for the tragedy "Boris Godunov" are among the artist's undoubted achievements.

IN AND. Shukhaev illustrated Pushkin's tragedy in an icon-painting manner, i.e. in the stylistic vein that is closest to the era of Boris Godunov.

"Pochouar"(French pochoir - "stencil") - a method of manual stencil touch-up of an engraving or drawing through "windows" cut into paper or other material.

If the stencil was made from a thin copper plate by acid etching, like etching, then it became possible to obtain as a result not only local colored spots, but also rather thin lines.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, this method was often used in the creation of albums of copyright and reproduction prints.

The same technique was used to create watercolor illustrations for bibliophile small-circulation books.

False Dmitry and Boyar ... Illustration for the tragedy of Alexander Pushkin "Boris Godunov"

Two years after Pushkin's “The Queen of Spades”, the Parisian publishing house “Pleiada” published a bibliophile edition of “Boris Godunov” translated by Zh. Shifrin with illustrations by V.I. Shukhaeva. In these solemn and "laconic" illustrations, the artist started from the icon-painting tradition of the 16th-17th centuries.

During his apprenticeship, Shukhaev copied the frescoes of Dionysius in the Ferapont Monastery. In 1925, while living in Paris, he, together with his friend A.E. Yakovlev received an order to paint a concert hall in a private house on Pergolez Street.

Painting on the theme “Tales of A.S. Pushkin in Music ”was performed in the stylistic manner of frescoes and icons. The artist's appeal to Old Russian painting in Boris Godunov is natural to illustrate the work, which takes place at the beginning of the 17th century.

Archbishop Anastasy (A.A. Gribanovsky) in the article “Spiritual insights of Pushkin in the drama“ Boris Godunov ”” published in the “Bulletin of the Russian student movement in Western Europe” (Paris, 1926), especially noted the correspondence of the Pushkin tragedy to the spirit of the time being described: “ The Orthodox spiritual element, which permeated the entire structure of Russian life in the era of Godunov, organically enters into all moments of Pushkin's drama, and wherever the author comes into contact with it, he describes it with bright and truthful colors, not allowing a single false note in the very tone narratives about this side of Russian life and not a single technically incorrect detail in its depiction ”.

Boris Godunov was published by Pleiade in 445 copies. Of these, 18 were printed on Japanese paper, 22 on Dutch paper, 390 on laid paper. 15 copies (5 on Japanese paper and 10 on laid paper) were not intended for sale. In France, as well as abroad in general, they learned about Pushkin's "Boris Godunov" mainly thanks to the opera of the same name by M.P. Mussorgsky. Shukhaev's illustrations and the translation of the text into French by Zh. Shifrin became another wonderful interpretation of the tragedy, bringing it closer to a foreign reader.

The publication of the book coincided with a significant event: it was in 1925 that Russia Abroad began to celebrate the Day of Russian Culture, a holiday timed to coincide with Pushkin's birthday.

Fate wanted V.I. Shukhaev had a chance to learn in full what the "time of troubles" in which he plunged, illustrating Pushkin's tragedy, was. In 1937, two years after returning from emigration, the Artist and his wife were arrested and spent 10 years in exile in Magadan.

After their release, they settled in Tbilisi, but the torment did not end there: they were arrested and deported more than once.

We continue to look at images prepared by illustrators from different countries, taken at different times. Today we will enjoy illustrations created for the fairy tales of the greatest Russian poet and prose writer, “our everything” - Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

Tales of Alexander Pushkin in illustrations 1820

Title page for the first publication of the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila", 1820. To our great regret, the author's name is not known. We can only say that the illustration is made in a classic engraving manner. And the interest is that this is a lifetime edition of the poem, and most likely Pushkin himself regulated the illustrations for his work.

Tales of A.S. Pushkin in illustrations 1893

The work of Alexander Sergeevich is comprehensive and incredibly beautiful. His imagery and simplicity of words have always attracted the attention of artists. And even if the presented work is not directly an illustration for Pushkin's book, it is an illustration for a fairy tale. This is the work "Ruslan and Lyudmila", made by the greatest painter of the 19th century, Nikolai Ge.

Tales of A.S. Pushkin in illustrations 1905

Edition 1905. Illustrations for this edition, and in general for many editions of A.S. Pushkin at the beginning of the 20th century, were made by the greatest Russian book illustrator and artist - Ivan Bilibin.

Ivan Bilibin was born in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. Studied at the Art School in Munich, then with Ilya Repin in St. Petersburg. In 1902-1904 Bilibin traveled across the Russian North. On this journey, he is very fond of old wooden architecture and Russian folklore. This hobby had a tremendous impact on the artist's artistic style. Fame came to Bilibin in 1899, after the publication of a collection of Russian fairy tales, illustrations for which the artist performed. During the Russian Revolution of 1905, he worked on revolutionary cartoons.

Tales of A.S. Pushkin in illustrations 1919

Edition of 1919, illustrations for which were prepared by the Russian avant-garde artist - Lyubov Popova. As the brightest representative of the cultural Russian environment of the early 20th century, Lyubov Popova concentrated a huge number of directions in herself, both in techniques and in works. She was a painter, book illustrator, poster maker, and fabric designer. In her work, she used the achievements of the Cubists, Modernists, Suprematists and Constructivists. The publication of A.S. Pushkin's fairy tales in 1919 coincided with the same stage in the work of the illustrator, when the author simultaneously worked as both a Suprematist and an avant-garde artist.

Tales of A.S. Pushkin in illustrations 1922

1922 edition of the fairy tale "About the Fisherman and the Fish", illustrated by Russian artist Vladimir Konashevich. We wrote about the work of this wonderful artist and illustrator when we looked at the illustrations for the fairy tale "". Konashevich is one of those artists and illustrators who have been using and practicing one stylistic approach throughout their creative life. In the case of Konashevich - bright illustrations, with finely worked out pencil sketches, contrasting bold colors. Staying true to his style, the artist only improved his skill in detail and nuance.

Tales of Alexander Pushkin in illustrations 1950

1950 French edition, illustrated by Helene Guertik. We have already written about the illustrations of this Russian artist, in the context of illustrations for the fairy tale "". This edition was a collection of popular fairy tales, including "The Tale of Tsar Saltan". An interesting approach is used by the illustrator in this work. The artist creates illustrations using only a few colors, superimposing images on top of each other, thereby giving a figurative representation of the action itself.

Tales of Alexander Pushkin in illustrations 1954

Edition "The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Heroes", 1954 with illustrations by the illustrator Tamara Yufa. A graduate of the Leningrad Art and Pedagogical School, she began by teaching drawing and drawing at school. At the same time, he began to try his hand at book illustration. In addition to book illustrations, he also creates sketches of costumes and scenery for the theater.

Tales of Alexander Pushkin in illustrations 1963

Another edition of Alexander Pushkin's fairy tale, this time "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel", 1963, with illustrations by the artist and illustrator Vladimir Konashevich, already familiar to us.

Tales of Alexander Pushkin in illustrations 1974

Published in 1974 with illustrations by Russian artist, illustrator and graphic artist - Tatiana Mavrina. A very prolific illustrator, Tatiana has designed more than 200 books, drew for cinema and theater, and was engaged in painting. Tatiana is one of the winners of the G. H. Andersen Prize for her contribution to the development of children's illustration. Traveling a lot around the country, Mavrina was saturated with traditional Old Russian culture, which was reflected in the author's illustrations. The 1974 edition was not the only edition of Pushkin's works, illustrations for which were prepared by Mavrina.

Tales of A.S. Pushkin in illustrations 1975

Edition of the fairy tale "About the dead princess and the seven heroes" in 1975 with illustrations by V. Vorontsov. Illustrations are made in watercolors. The artist uses a very interesting tonal move in the illustrations. If we talk about the whole work in general, then all the illustrations are made in several basic colors: blue, red, yellow and white, as a background. Looking at each illustration separately, the use of these primary colors varies in each of them. In one illustration, the emphasis is on cool blue tones, in which red and yellow act only as an accent and complement. In others, warm red or yellow becomes the dominant color. This use of color immediately introduces an unambiguous characteristic load.

Tales of Alexander Pushkin in illustrations 1976

Edition "Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish", 1976, illustrated by Russian painter and book illustrator Nikifor Rashchektayev. The illustrations for the fairy tale are made in a classical painting manner. Raschektayev's illustrations are very rich in color and composition. All elements of decor, interior, clothing have been worked out. The faces of the heroes are perfectly artistically and expressively worked out, each of which is endowed with its own unique character and emotions.

Tales of Alexander Pushkin in illustrations 1980

1980 edition with illustrations by illustrator, graphic artist and artist Oleg Zotov. Zotov's illustrations are made in the style of a popular print. This is a traditional Russian style of illustration, in which simple graphics are combined with text material. In this illustration, the author adheres to the classic canons of the Russian popular print - the drawing is made in pencil, spot color is used, and the text is inscribed in the illustrations.

Tales of Alexander Pushkin in illustrations 1985

1985 edition with illustrations by the Soviet artist, graphic artist and painter - Viktor Laguna. Graduate of the Palekhov School named after V.I. M. Gorky, Laguna works a lot both as an artist and as an illustrator. The author's paintings are exhibited in museums around the world, as well as in private collections. The artist's stylistic development was greatly influenced by the Palekh school.

Tales of A.S. Pushkin in illustrations 1987

Published in 1987, illustrated by the master of book illustration, Anatoly Eliseev. A graduate of the Moscow Polygraphic Institute, Eliseev, immediately after graduation, plunges into book illustration, which he still does not part with. Works a lot. Draws for magazines: "Crocodile", "Murzilka", "Funny Pictures". Illustrations for "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" are made in a dense watercolor style, using dark, almost black colors, when light colors play in bright contrast. Thus, the artist defines the points for the concentration of the audience's attention.

Tales of Alexander Pushkin in illustrations 1991

Edition 1991 with illustrations by the artist, illustrator and graphic artist - Boris Dekhterev. We have already got acquainted with the work and illustrations of Dekhterev in the context of the fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood". Boris Dekhterev is one of those classic examples of perfect illustration, with perfect forms, perfect use of all pictorial means of expression. The artist's characters are clear and understandable.

Tales of A.S. Pushkin in illustrations 2003

Edition of 2003 with illustrations by illustrator Mikhail Samorezov. Very beautiful, characteristic illustrations made in watercolors. Self-tapping screws carefully use both color and compositional techniques, without overloading the drawing. At the same time, the illustrations are full of details that help to fully reveal the content of the literary material.

Tales of Alexander Pushkin in illustrations 2008

Edition of 2008, with illustrations by Russian artist, illustrator, graphic artist, ornamentalist - Boris Zvorykin. The interest of this publication is that the author of the illustrations died 66 years before his illustrations were published. This is a very beautiful, juicy, dense in form and content, edition illustrated in the modern style of the early 20th century. All pages are framed with ornamental frames. All heroes are worked out. Each illustration plays with colors.

Tales of Alexander Pushkin in illustrations 2011

Edition of "Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish" 2011, with illustrations by a modern young Moscow architect and book illustrator - Kirill Chelushkin. A graduate of the Moscow Architectural Institute, Chelushkin is a member of the International Federation of the Union of Graphics. He works a lot, both in Russia and abroad. The author's works are in private collections around the world.

A book is an entertaining and interesting thing in itself. However, in order to make it easier for the reader to transfer three hundred pages of continuous text, great people came up with such a thing as illustrations for them. Agree, the moral load on the brain is wonderful. But in order not to fall into boring monotony, sometimes a drop of visual pleasure on the pages of our favorite book will not hurt us.

Immediately, colorful pictures from children's books come to mind, but the more significant the book is in world culture, the more seriously and deeply the artists approach the matter of creating an image. And here no drawings of "Aibolit" will stand next to what people create under the impression of cult books. Today I want to show you 7 different views of illustrators on books created in different eras, but equally left their mark in world literature. They are located in chronological order. Enjoy!

Romeo and Juliet - Savva Brodsky

And since I decided to follow the chronological sequence, the first on the list will be illustrations for the famous Shakespeare's tragedy “Romeo and Juliet”. Sava Brodsky is a Soviet artist and book illustrator, whose works for the tragedy could not fail to attract attention. Each of them is literally imbued with the spirit of sad events: dark colors, pale faces and a shade of the Gothic style - all this gives the images a smack of bitterness, and the paintings - the atmosphere of truly "the saddest story in the world."

Don Quixote - Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali is a restless genius who created as many as four versatile cycles of illustrations for the most famous book after the Bible - Don Quixote. But, perhaps, I will show you fragments for the very first cycle of Cervantes' novel, since it was him that Dali loved most and admired him alone. These illustrations, unfortunately, are little known in the world, but they deliver aesthetic pleasure no worse than other famous works of the great artist.

"The ABC of Edgar Allan Poe" - Ero Nel

Poe's works themselves were clearly not famous for their positivity and iridescence. And if you remember his "Black Cat" and "The Crow", then, in general, a cat's tail will remain from a good mood, and the body will tremble from the tickling of nerves with the black feather of "Nevermore". It was this atmosphere that the young artist Anastasia Chernaya (Ero Nel) managed to convey in the so-called “ABC of Po”. Each picture is a separate story of the writer. Each capital letter is part of Allan Poe's alphabet.

B - "Berenice"

W - "Murder on Morgue Street"

H - "Black Cat"

Jen Eyre - Elena and Anna Balbusso

In order to create a contrast, after the gloomy and frightening Po, I will introduce you to the “warm” Balbusso sisters. Although the work of Charlotte Bronte itself contains frightening events in places, but, despite this, it is a touching and sincere novel, where bright colors of love prevail against a dark background. In the illustrations of the artists, it is the warm colors that play a big role, which pierce even the most frightening moments of the book with soulfulness.

"Metamorphosis" - Eda Akaltun

Eda Akaltun is a contemporary illustrator who created a series of images for the famous novel by Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis". The drawings, executed in only three colors, were supposed to capture and expose the dark humor and claustrophobic atmosphere of the story itself, rather than its narration.

1984 - Andrey Zamura

Coin step. Walk in formation. No, this is not the army, this is Orwell. It is not enough to say that the famous dystopia “1984” influenced art alone. No, she influenced the vision of the whole world. And how to portray him more clearly and “safer”, except in the image? This is exactly what the modern Russian illustrator Andrei Zamura tried to do. Strong lines, abstract shapes and a maximalist vision are the perfect recipe for a depiction inspired by George Orwell's 1984.

"The Old Man and the Sea" - Slava Schultz

Slava Shultz, a student of the Kharkov Academy of Design and Arts, created an impressive series of illustrations for E. Hemingway's story "The Old Man and the Sea", which was difficult to pass by without being admired. The technique of painting with oil on photographic paper, adding to this book graphics and, of course, cold colors, from which the blood in your veins freezes, - this is a near-ideal recipe for brilliant work, warmly accepted by the public.

The Lord of the Rings - Greg and Tim Hildebrandt

And finally, I will dilute the already created gloomy atmosphere with fabulous illustrations by the Hildebrant brothers based on Tolkien's novel "The Lord of the Rings". It is difficult to find brighter and more impressive illustrations. They are full of colors, life and emotions. And it seems, looking at them, any adult for a moment plunges into a fairy tale and feels this wild desire, taking a book and a flashlight, to climb under the covers and drown in a huge world created by the most brilliant writer John Tolkien.

Leviza Nikulina

Unfortunately, none of the encyclopedias, or such a source that knows everything in the world, such as the Internet, could unfortunately tell who the artist V.A. Polyakov is. Therefore, we just look at the illustrations without any knowledge of the artist himself. It's a shame, though, because the drawings are pretty interesting. They were performed for the two-volume complete collected works of Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov, published in 1900. It includes the poet's poems, poems and prose. In general, everything that was previously studied in our schools during the years of the existence of real education in the USSR, without stopping the tsarist time.

Illustration for the novel "A Hero of Our Time" - "Princess Mary"

- I feel bad, ”she said in a weak voice.

I quickly bent down to her, put my arm around her flexible waist ...

ANGEL

An angel flew across the midnight sky

And he sang a quiet song;

And the month, and the stars, and the clouds in a crowd

They listened to that holy song.

He sang about the bliss of sinless spirits

Under the bushes of the Gardens of Eden;

He sang about the great God, and praise

It was unfeigned.

He carried the young soul in his arms

For a world of sorrow and tears;

And the sound of his song in a young soul

Remained - without words, but alive.

And for a long time in the world she languished,

Full of wonderful desire;

And the sounds of heaven could not replace

To her the boring songs of the earth.

Illustration for the poem "Borodino" - "Yes, there were people in our time ..."

PRISONER

Open my dungeon

Give me the shine of the day

Black-eyed girl

Black-maned horse.

I am a young beauty

First I kiss sweetly

Then I'll jump on a horse,

I will fly away to the steppe like the wind.

But the prison window is high

The door is heavy with a lock;

Black-eyed far away

In his magnificent mansion;

Good horse in a green field

Without a bridle, alone, at will

Rides cheerful and playful

Dismissed the tail in the wind.

I am lonely - there is no consolation:

The walls are bare all around

The beam of the lamp shines dimly

By a dying fire;

You can only hear: behind the doors,

With sonorous steps

Walks in the silence of the night

Unrequited sentry.

DAGGER

I love you, my damask dagger,

The comrade is light and cold.

A pensive Georgian forged you for revenge,

A free Circassian sharpened for a formidable battle.

Lily hand brought you to me

As a sign of memory, at a moment of parting,

And for the first time not blood flowed along you,

But a bright tear - a pearl of suffering.

And black eyes, dwelling on me,

Filled with a mysterious sadness

Like your steel in a tremulous fire,

Then they suddenly dimmed, or they sparkled.

You were given to me as a companion, love is a pledge of dumb,

And the wanderer in you is not a useless example:

Yes, I will not change and I will be firm in spirit

How are you, how are you, my iron friend.

DREAM

Half-day heat in the valley of Dagestan

Lead in my chest I lay motionless;

A deep wound was still smoking,

Drop by drop my blood was chiseling.

I lay alone in the sand of the valley;

The cliff ledges were crowded around,

And the sun burned their yellow tops

And it burned me - but I slept like a dead dream.

And I dreamed shining with lights

Evening feast at home.

Between young wives crowned with flowers,

There was a funny conversation about me.

But without entering into a cheerful conversation,

I sat there thoughtfully alone,

And in a sad dream her young soul

God knows what she was immersed in;

And she dreamed of the valley of Dagestan;

A familiar corpse lay in that valley;

There was a blackened wound in his chest, smoking,

And the blood poured in a cold stream.

They loved each other so long and dearly

With deep longing and insanely rebellious passion!

But, like enemies, they avoided recognition and meeting,

And their short speeches were empty and cold.

They parted in silent and proud suffering,

And they saw a cute image in a dream only sometimes.

And death came: there was a rendezvous behind the grave ...

But in the new world they did not recognize each other.

PROPHET

Ever since the eternal judge

He gave me the omniscience of a prophet,

I read in the eyes of people

Pages of malice and vice.

I began to proclaim love

And the truths are pure teachings:

All my neighbors are in me

They threw stones furiously.

I sprinkled ashes on the head,

I fled from the cities a beggar,

And now I live in the desert

Like birds, the gift of God's food;

Keeping the eternal covenant,

The earthly creature is submissive to me;

And the stars are listening to me

Joyfully playing with beams.

When through the noisy hail

I make my way in haste

Then the elders say to the children

With a proud smile:

Look: Here's an example for you!

He was proud, did not get along with us:

Fool wanted to assure us

That God speaks with his mouth!

Look, children, at him:

How sullen and thin and pale he is!

See how naked and poor he is

How they all despise him!

CANE

A merry fisherman sat

On the river bank;

And in front of him in the wind

The reeds swayed.

He cut the dry cane

And pierced the wells;

He squeezed one end,

It blew at the other end.

And as if animated

And the reed sang sadly:

In “Leave, leave me;

Fisherman, beautiful fisherman,

You torment me!

In "And I was a girl,

The beauty was

Stepmother's in the dungeon

I once bloomed

And many tears of combustible

Innocently I was pouring;

And an early grave

I called out godlessly.

THREE PALMS

(Eastern legend)

In the sandy steppes of the Arabian land

Three proud palms grew high.

A spring between them from barren soil,

Murmuring, breaking through with a cold wave,

Stored in the shade of green leaves,

From sultry rays and flying sands.

And many years passed inaudibly;

But a weary wanderer from a foreign land

Burning breasts to icy moisture

I have not yet bowed under the green tabernacle,

And they began to dry up from the sultry rays

Luxurious leaves and a resounding stream.

And three palms began to murmur against God:

In “Why were we born to wither here?

We grew and bloomed without use in the desert,

Oscillations with a whirlwind and the heat of a palima,

Nobody's benevolent, not pleasing to the eye? ..

Your holy judgment is not right, oh heaven!

And only fell silent - in the distance blue

The golden sand was already spinning like a pillar,

There were discordant sounds of calls,

Carpeted bundles were full of carpets,

And he walked, swaying like a shuttle in the sea,

Camel after camel, blasting the sand.

Dangling, hung between solid humps

Patterned floors of camping tents;

Their dark hands sometimes lifted,

And black eyes sparkled from there ...

And, leaning the lean to the bow,

The Arab was hot on the black horse.

And the horse reared up at times,

And jumped like a leopard struck by an arrow;

And beautiful folds of white clothes

Over the shoulders of the Pharis were twisted in disarray;

And, screaming and whistling through the sand,

He threw and caught a spear at a gallop.

Here is a caravan coming up to the palm trees, making noise:

In the shadow of their merry camp stretched out.

The sounding jugs filled with water,

And, proudly nodding his terry head,

Palm trees greet unexpected guests,

And the freezing stream gives them water generously.

But just now the gloom has fallen to the ground,

The ax knocked on the elastic roots,

And the pets of centuries fell without life!

Their clothes were ripped off by little children,

Their bodies were chopped up afterwards,

And they slowly burned them with fire until morning.

When the fog swept westward,

The caravan made its lesson;

And then the sad ones on the barren soil

All that was visible was gray and cold ash;

And the sun burned dry,

And then they were blown away by the wind in the steppe.

And now everything is wild and empty around -

Leaves with a rattlesnake do not whisper:

In vain he asks the prophet for a shadow -

Only hot sand brings it,

Yes, a crested vulture, steppe unsociable,

Prey torments and stings over it.

GEORGIAN SONG

There lived a young Georgian woman

Fading in a stuffy harem.

Happened once:

From black eyes

Diamond of love, son of sorrow,

Rolled down.

Ah, she's an old Armenian

I was proud! ..

Around her crystal, rubies,

But how not to cry from rupture

The old man?

His hand

He caresses the virgin every day

And what? - ”

Beauties are hidden like a shadow.

Oh my God!..

He fears treason.

Its walls are high, strong,

But all is love

I despised. Again

The blush on the cheeks is alive

And the pearl between the eyelashes at times

Didn't fight ...

But the Armenian discovered insidiousness,

Treason and ingratitude

How to transfer!

Annoyance, revenge,

For the first time, he only himself

I tasted it!

And the corpse of a criminal to the waves

He betrayed.

TAMARA

In the deep gorge of Darial,

Where Terek rummages in the darkness,

The old tower stood

Blackening on a black rock

In that tower high and cramped

Queen Tamara lived:

Beautiful as a heavenly angel

As a demon, insidious and evil.

And there through the mist of midnight

A golden light shone,

He threw himself into the eyes of the traveler,

He beckoned to rest at night.

He was all desire and passion,

It had an all-powerful enchantment,

There was an incomprehensible power.

There was a warrior, a merchant and a shepherd ...

Forget-me-not

(Story)

In ancient times, people were

Not at all like these days;

(If there is love in the world) loved

The more sincere they are.

Of ancient fidelity, of course

Have you ever heard

But as legends of rumor

The whole thing will be spoiled forever

Then I will give you an exact sample

I want to present at last.

The moisture of the brook is cold,

Under the shade of linden branches

Without fear of evil eyes,

Once a knight noble

I sat with my dear ...

Quietly with a young hand

She hugged the handsome man.

Full of innocent simplicity

Peaceful conversation flowed.

In "Friend: do not swear to me in vain,

The virgin said: I believe

Your love is clear, pure,

Like this resounding stream

How clear is this vault above us;

But how strong she is in you

Do not know yet. - Look,

A lush carnation glows there,

A blue flower is barely visible ...

Rip it off for me, my dear:

He is not so far away for love!

My knight jumped up, delighted

Her spiritual simplicity;

Jumping over the stream with an arrow

He flies a precious flower

Tear off with a hasty hand ...

The goal of his striving is already close,

Suddenly underneath (terrible view)

Unfaithful earth trembles

He gets stuck, there is no escape for him! ...

Throwing a gaze full of fire

To your voiceless beauty

In "Forgive me, do not forget me! In"

The unfortunate youth exclaimed;

And in an instant a pernicious flower

I grabbed it with a hopeless hand;

And ardent hearts in pledge

He threw it to the tender maiden.

The flower is sad from now on

Love is dear; heart beats

When the eye catches it.

He is called forget-me-not;

In damp places, near swamps,

As if dreading the touch

He seeks solitude there;

And it blooms with the color of the sky,

Where there is no death and no oblivion ...

Here is the story of my end;

Judge: true or fiction.

Is the damsel to blame? ”

She said, rightly, her conscience!

TALE FOR CHILDREN

In "When you sleep, oh my earthly angel,

And beats fast with virgin blood

A young breast under a night dream,

Know that it’s me, leaning towards the headboard,

I admire - and talk to you;

And in silence, your accidental mentor,

Wonderful secrets I tell ...

And there was much to my gaze

Accessible and understandable, because

That I am not bound by earthly bonds,

And punished with eternity and knowledge ...

Illustrations for poems

Poem "Angel of Death"

Three illustrations for the poem "Ishmael Bey"

Poem "Prisoner of the Caucasus"

Poem "Boyarin Orsha"

Poem "Treasurer"